Means for feeding elongated work-pieces to and/or from a centreless grinding machine



Dec. 5, 1961 W SUMMERS H. MEANS FOR FEEDING ELONGATED WORKPIECES TO AND/O FROM A CENTRELESS GRINDING MACHINE Filed Sept. 4, 1959 3,011,290 I MEANS FOR FEEDING ELONGATED WORK PIECES T AND/OR FROM A CENTRELESS GRINDING MACHINE Harold Wilfred Summers, Olton, Solihull, England, assignor to Clifford Machine Tools Limited, Birmingham, England Filed Sept. 4, 1959 Ser. No. 838,126 Claims priority, application Great Britain Sept. 8, 1958 3 Claims. (Cl. 51-103) The object of this invention is to provide convenient means for feeding elongated workpieces to and/ or from a centreless grinding machine of the kind comprising a rotary grinding wheel, a rotary control wheel, and a work rest for supporting a workpiece between said wheels, the work rest being mounted on a main slide which is movable towards and away from one of the wheels which is carried by the machine bed, and the other wheel being carried by a second slide movable relative to the main slide in the same direction. 3

According to the invention means for feeding elongated workpieces to a centreless grinding machine of the kind specified comprises at least one frame adapted for connection to the main slide so as to extend laterally therefrom, means including anti-friction bearings supporting said frame for movement with the main slide, a plurality of spaced pairs of power driven work supporting rollers on the frame, and means for locking the outer 'end of the frame against said movement.

'In the accompanying drawings FIGURES 1 and 2 respectively are a part-sectional side view and a plan illustrating suflicient of one example for an understanding of the invention, while FIGURES 3 and 4 respectively are sections on the lines 33 and 4-4 in FIGURE 1.

Referring to the drawings, the invention is shown as a United States Patent ends bearing upon horizontal flat surfaces upon a pair of spaced fixed pedestals 18. The surface of each pedestal is formed by an accurately machinedplate 19 which is the member 22 relative to the member 16 and, therefore,

applied to a known form of centreless grinding machine comprising a machine bed 5 upon which a grinding wheel 6 is mounted for rotation by any convenient means about a fixed axis. Also on the machine bed is a main slide 7 which is movable towards or away from the grinding wheel and can be locked in position on the bed 5 by actuation of a lever 8. The slide 7 carries a vertically adjustable work rest 9 adapted to support a workpiece 10 between the grinding wheel 6 and a control wheel 11 carried by a second slide 12, the slide 12 being carried by the slide 7 and movable relative thereto in a direction towards or away from the grinding wheel 6. Moreover, the slide 12 can be locked to the slide 7 by actuation of a lever 13. The control wheel 11 is rotatable by any convenient means about an axis which can be angularly adjusted relative to the slide 12 (and therefore, to the axis of the grinding wheel) to determine the rate of feed of the workpiece 10 between the wheels 6, 11.

Another known machine is similar to that above described except that the relative positions of the grinding and control wheels are reversed.

nected a frame forming part of a support for the workpiece 10 which may be a tube, rod or of other elongated form. Preferably, however, the frames of two similar units are connected to opposite ends of the bridge piece 14 to support the work as it is fed to, and from the grinding wheel 6. ,Since the two units are similar only one will be described in the following description although a 'part of the other unit is shown inithe drawings.

The frame comprises a lower member 16 which is mounted for transverse movement in a direction parallel to the slide 7 by means of anti-friction rollers 17 at its relative to the work rest 9. Connected to the member 22 are two pairs of depending arms 27 in which are formed slots through which extend fixed screw threaded heads (not shown) respectively on the member 16. Engaging with these screw-threaded heads are bolts 28, 29 to which are secured levers 30, 31, the latter being extended to form a handle. The lower ends of the levers 30, 31 are pivotally interconnected by a link,32 and the arrangement is such that when the member 22 is at a desired level relative to the member 16 actuation of the handle on lever 31 tightens the bolts 28, 29 onto their respective heads and clamps the members 16, 22 together. By this means the load is taken from the jacks during operation of the machine.

On the member 22 are mounted a plurality of pairs of spaced rollers 33 which are adapted to support the workpieces 10 as it is fed to or from the grinding machine. Each roller has a truncated conical periphery, and the axis of each roller is adjustable relative to the member 22. Moreover, all the rollers 33 are adapted to be positively rotataed at the same speed through gearing 34 and shafts 35, 36 from an electric motor 37 mounted on one of the pedestals 18, the shaft 35 in the drive between the motor 37 and member 22 including a spline connection to admit of the relative vertical movement of the member 22.

In use the axes of each pair of support rollers 33 are set relative to one another so that when rotated, they will tend to feed the workpiece 10 resting between them axially towards or away from the grinding wheel 6 at a rate substantially equal to the rate for which the control wheel 11 is set. 7

Since the workpiece resting on the support rollers can be moved with the slide '7 both towards or away from and vertically relative to the wheel 6. and the wheel 11 can be moved towards or away from the workpiece 10, the latter can be accurately located relative to both wheels irrespective of its diameter.

In order to obviate undesirable movement of the frame with the slide 7 during use of the machine the outer end of the frame incorporates means whereby it can be locked to the adjacent pedestal. Conveniently this means is operable from a position adjacent a hand-wheel (not shown) for adjusting the slide 7, and in one construction it takes the form of an electro-magnetically or fluid operable arcuate brake shoe 38 carried by the pedestal 18 and embracing a cylindrical member 39 extending transversely and secured to the member 16, the electro-magnet fluid operable means being under the control of a switch or valve. mounted on the grinding machine adjacent the slide adjusting hand-wheel.

' Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by LetterstPatent is:

1. In a centreless grindingmachine of the kind comwhich'carries the other wheel, and which is. mounted on "said main slide so as to be capable of movement relative'thereto towardsandawayfromthe wheel carried by said bed, means for moving elongated workpieces over said work rest, and comprising in. combination at least one frameextending laterally from' said "main'slide, "and having upperaiid lower "horizontal'members; a' bridge piece whichis secured'toisaid main" slide, and'fthrough the medium-of which said? frame is connected to "said 'main'j'slidefor "movement therewithymeans supporting fsaid'frame at opposite endsthereof,"'and includinganti- 'frictionbearings 'whi-ch permihfree movement of "said "Eframe"with said mainslide; locking means situated at the "endof said frame remote'ifrom *said "main slide, and "operable "to prevent undesired -movement of said frame, a ;pair of spaced -stationary pedestals which form parts ofthemeans for supporting saidframe, and which 'comprisemain-bo'dy parts having -adjustably'secured to the upper ends thereof horizontal plates having fiat hori- 'zontalupper'su'rfaces, rollers-which constitute said anti- 1 friction 'bearingsyand through-the medium of whichthe lower horizontal member "of said frameis supported by thempper surfaces of'said' plates, a plurality of spaced 'pairs of work-supporting rollers 'mouuted'on the upper horizontal member of 'saidframe, power-driven means operati-vely connected to said work-supporting rollers for by said actuating device.

3. "A centreless grindingmachine'accordingztoclaim 2, and having two pairs of verticalarms secured to and depending from the .upper'.horizontal member ,of said frame, and meansfor'releas'ably clamping the arms of each pair against opposite sides of the lower horizontal member of said frame.

- References Cited in the. file of thisnpatent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,082,451 Snyder Dec..23, 1913 1,814,367 Caster July 14, 1931 1,822,337 Caster Sept. 8, 1931 2,165,097 Fuller *July 4, 1939 2,284,257 Bergstrom May 26, 1942 2,731,774 Sieber et al Jan. 24, 1956 

